The Land We Cared For-- : a History of the Forest
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V Mlq^iI A 13.2:H 62/9 ^ THE LAND WE CARED FOR ... A History of the Forest Service's Eastern Region S$t^5i** s ^<* Original from Digitized by Go gle UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA THE LAND WE CARED FOR... A History of the Forest Service's Eastern Region by David E. Conrad AMERICAN RESOURCES GROUP, LTD. Carbondale, Illinois Edited by: Jay H. Cravens, George Banzhaf & Company for the U.S. Forest Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin FIRST EDmON 1997 USDA-Forest Service, Region 9 310 West Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53203 Cover by: U.S. Forest Service UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS LIBRARY OCT 2 8 1997 U.S. DEPOSITORY PROPERTY U.S.G.P.0.0-295 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, or call 1-800- 245-6340 (voice) or 202-720-1 127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. NOTE TO READERS This work has been written under a 1985 contract between the USDA Forest Service and American Resources Group, Ltd., of Carbondale, Illinois. The authors had the cooperation of the Forest Service and the National Archives and Records Administration. Editorial suggestions were made by the Forest Service and Jay H. Cravens of George Banzhaf and Company. The Eastern Region of the Forest Service as it exists today was formed in 1965, when Regions 7 and 9 were combined as Region 9. Before the combination, both Regions had histories which went back many years. Region 7, the original Eastern Region was established in 1914. It covered the northeastern states east of the Appalachian Mountains and, for a time, several southern states. The original Region 9, the Lake States Region, was formed in 1928. It was enlarged in 1930 and renamed the North Central Region in 1933. It encompassed the states of the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley and the upper Mississippi Valley. In .this study Regions 7 and 9 are treated separately before 1965. At the same time we will endeavor to deal with the work of the Forest Service in the Region as a unified effort which began soon after the turn of the 20th century. 1985 PREFACE When asked why a history of the Eastern Region needed to be written, Regional Forester Larry Henson answered simply, "Because it is important to know where we have been, and because where we have been has a lot to do with what we are today." Henson, who was Deputy Chief of the Forest Service in 1985, also wanted the history of the Region to show how it has changed over the years and how its historic role in "re-establishing" forests has differed from the primary task of conservation done by the Forest Service in the West. The National Forests of the Eastern Region, although they are important today, have been relatively less important to the general economy of the Region than the National Forests of the West are to theirs. Timber companies and their interests are today less dominant in the general economy of the Eastern Region than such companies are in the West. Indeed, when most of the Eastern Region National Forests were established, the logging companies had abandoned them because the timber had been harvested with no attempt at reforestation. Under the management of the Forest Service, the ravaged forests of the East have been reclaimed. Logging has come back. Once-threatened wildlife and plant species have returned. The recreational use and scientific study of the National Forests have increased dramatically. This history of the Eastern Region will endeavor to tell the story of the return of the forests to the Region and what that has meant to the people and the economy of the area. 11 1997 PREFACE Along with other readers of this history, I was impressed by the many changes taking place since I departed the Forest Service in 1976. Even more changes have occurred since the authors completed their work on this history in 1987. Times have indeed changed, and will continue to do so. New laws have resulted in the development of new rules, regulations and responsibilies, and with those came an influx of bright, new specialists to help meet the new challenges and complexities which were imposed on the Forest Service. From where I sit today, I see more enthusiasm and progress being made in the Eastern Region than in any of the other Regions. While I spent almost one-third of my Forest Service career in the Eastern Region and thought I knew it well, I learned a great deal more in the months I have spent reading, re-reading and editing the manuscript for this history. I have gained even greater respect for what our predecessors did to acquire and establish purchase units. ..these were the "lands that nobody wanted!" Then they protected, managed, and helped create the magnificent National Forests we have today. This required extraordinary effort, a lot of hustling and teamwork, and much blood, sweat, tears and sacrifices on the part of those in the Forest Service family. The reader will be reminded that the geographical, ecological diversity, and socio-political complications make the 20-state Eastern Region unique. Added to that difference is the reality that most of the Region's National Forests are within a day's drive of one-half of the nation's population. This history names some of those builders of this Region, but a reading of this book will also bring to mind many unsung heroes who were not named by the authors. My reading, along with yours, will bring to mind other people, events, stories, and accomplishments which might have been written. But for a number of reasons, including sheer volume alone, not everything could be recorded. We can be grateful for the rich history and memories that have been captured on the following pages. I wish the people of the Eastern Region well, and urge them to read this rich legacy of history and carry on the proud traditions of the U.S. Forest Service. Jay H. Cravens Milwaukee, WI July 1997 in TABLE OF CONTENTS Note to Readers i Preface 1985 ii Preface 1997 iii Table of Contents iv Chapters I The Region 1 II The Beginnings of Federal Forest Work 17 EI The Eastern Forests 27 IV Region Seven 39 V The Lake States Region, the First Region Nine 51 VI The Great Depression and New Directions 67 VII Regions 7 and 9 in the Great Depression 89 VITJ The Civilian Conservation Corps in Regions 9 and 7 97 LX The War Years Ill X Postwar and the Fifties 135 XI Emphasis on Outdoor Recreation 151 XII The 1960's and 1970's 163 XIII The New Eastern Region 179 XIV Management of Resources 205 XV The Monongahela Controversy 23 1 XVI Wilderness in the Eastern Region 237 XVH The Forest Plans 253 XVm Profiles of Eastern Region People 267 XLX Conclusion 277 Appendix 281 Index 289 iv CHAPTER I THE REGION Environmental Setting The story of the formation of land, rivers, and forests in the northeastern quarter of the United States begins in the age of ice when nearly all of the region was covered by vast glaciers. The Ice Age began when the climate of North America became cold enough that more snow fell than melted. As the snow accumulated it compressed into ice, forming great domes, the weight of which forced the ice to move away radially. There were several ice domes or caps in North America and four or five glaciers that pushed onto the central plains. Those glaciers came from the Patrician Cap, located several hundred miles north of Lake Superior. The glaciers which affected New England came from the Labrador Cap far to the north of New England. 1 Scientists believe that before the Ice Age the terrain of the region was much like those areas not affected by glaciers, such as the Ozark Plateau. Like other unglaciated-glaciated areas, its contour was formed by uplifts and domes which have been faulted and folded and then eroded by streams. Most terrain was vitally influenced by the type and contour of the underlying bedrock, but when the Ice Age came, a sheet or drift of rocks, sand, gravel and soil was laid down, its thickness determined by the number of glaciers and the contours beneath it. Obviously, the drift was thickest where there were valleys and thinnest where it lay over mountains. A drift thickness of several hundred feet was not uncommon in most of the Great Lakes areas. In the Hiawatha National Forest in northern Michigan, the drift is as thick as 1,100 feet. Since none of the glaciers extended that far south, National Forests such as the Mark Twain, Shawnee, Hoosier, Wayne, and Allegheny were not affected (See map on Maximum Extent of Glaciation in the Wisconsin Glacial Stage). The major effect of the glaciers was to level the topography, cutting down hills and filling in valleys. The glaciers left their deposits moraines which resemble hills, but the terrain is less contoured than before glaciation; it is basically a plain. Scientists are not sure whether the glaciers created the Great Lakes.